Not So Fireproof
by CelestialSonata7
Summary: When an explosion devastates Rocque Records where the boys are rehearsing, the boys are left hurt and desperate to find a way out. NO SLASH.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Requested by BookWorkKendall. I am sooooo sorry this took so long. I seriously have no excuse accepted that the inspiration/motivation was not there. Honestly? I'm pretty sure this whole thing is crap. I just couldn't get my mind to focus and write something substantial. I'm sorry BookWorkKendall. *sigh***

**Even despite my writer's block, I still managed to write too much crap for one chapter, so I had to split it into two. The other will be uploaded tomorrow.**

**Little side-note; I got the title for this from a track on the 'How To Train Your Dragon' soundtrack; of which I adore thoroughly. :)**

**Anyway, hope y'all don't hate this two-shot too much. ^^;**

**No slash, just friendship.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Not So Fireproof

"A whole hour!" Gustavo boomed.

"Look,". Kendall began. "We said we were sor-"

"That's a whole hour of rehearsal _wasted_!" Gustavo yelled.

"But it's not our fault we were late!" Carlos said. "It's James'!" He thrusted a thumb to James standing beside him.

"Hey!" James said in defense. "Proper hair care can't be rushed!"

"Enough!" Gustavo bellowed. "We have one month left to prepare for this concert, and you guys decide to slack off!"

"We weren't slacking off!" Kendall defended. "We were-"

"I don't care, what you were doing!" Gustavo cut him off. "Just stop being stupid and worker harder so-"

Kelly laying a hand on Gustavo's shoulder stopped him mid-rant. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, restrained frustration clear in her tone.

Gustavo sighed, then turned back to the boys. "Stay!" He commanded, then allowed Kelly to roughly pull him out of the dance studio.

The boys all sighed once he was gone.

"Perfect." Kendall breathed sarcastically.

"Told you he'd be mad at us!" Logan said as he glared at James.

"Well it's not my fault he can't control his temper!" James retorted.

"You're the one that made us late!" Logan yelled.

"Yeah!" Carlos agreed. "Taking care of your _precious_ hair for a whole _forty-five minutes_!"

"You can't rush perfection!" James said. "This look needs time to settle for it to look right!"

"Nobody _cares_ about your look!" Logan yelled angrily.

"Uh, I think the fans would disagree with you." James said as he pulled out his comb and stroked it through his hair.

"That's it!" Logan yelled in anger, then he and Carlos tackled James to the ground, letting out angry cries as they fell.

"Guys!" Kendall yelled, trying to break up the fight on the ground. "Quit it! You're only giving Gustavo more reason to hate us right now!" Kendall sighed as the boys continued to wrestle on the ground, his yells being drowned out by theirs. "This is gonna be a long day."

* * *

"Why can't you cut them some slack? For once?" Kelly asked.

"Because,". Gustavo said as he started the coffee maker. "That would make me look soft. You can't control a pack of wild dogs if they think you're soft!"

"They're not dogs." Kelly said in annoyance. "They're teenage boys. And they have other responsibilities than just you, you know."

"What? That's ridiculous." Gustavo said as he pressed the buttons on the machine. "I'm the only important thing they got. They should show me more respect by showing up for rehearsal _on time_."

Kelly rolled her eyes. She watched Gustavo pressing buttons on the machine. "Are you sure you know how to use that?"

"It's a coffee maker." Gustavo said simply. "How hard could it be?" He pressed a button and the machine sprang to life. "There! Now let's get back to the _dogs_, and give them some direction while I wait for this to finish." Then he walked out of the office.

Kelly sighed and rolled her eyes as she followed.

* * *

"Get off of me!" Logan cried.

"Not until you admit that my extra hair-care time is justified!" James yelled as he held Logan still.

"Never!" Carlos cried as he tackled James to the ground, freeing Logan. Logan quickly got to his feet and helped Carlos with James.

"Guys that's enough!" Kendall yelled. He got into the fight and yanked Carlos off of James, holding him above the ground. "We're gonna get in-"

"Dooogs!" Gustavo yelled, ceasing all fighting at once as the boys turned to him.

"Trouble." Kendall finished in a mutter as he released Carlos. James and Logan quickly stood up and they all stood back in the line.

"What is wrong with you?" Gustavo yelled. "I can't leave for five minutes without you going crazy!"

"Look Gustavo,". Logan started nervously. "We were just-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Gustavo yelled. "Get to work! Now! Kendall and Carlos, you're on vocals. James and Logan, you're working with Mr. X on your flips. Go!"

Immediately the boys scrambled to their designated places.

* * *

"Ready! And, one, two, three, four. . ." Mr. X instructed.

James and Logan jumped and flipped and danced to the beat, following Mr. X slackingly as they panted and sweat.

"Come on boys!" Mr. X said. "Push it!"

"Could we. . .Take a break?" James breathed as he stopped jumping and panted. "We've been dancing. . .For two hours straight already."

Logan stopped as well, leaning his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath.

"No breaks!" Mr. X said. "Mr. Rocque was very clear! After the hour lost on rehearsal we have to work X-tra hard to make it up! Now X-jump!"

The boys sighed heavily and jumped with Mr. X, half-heartedly performing the steps. Logan sent James a glare and James ducked his head in shame.

* * *

"That was terrible!" Gustavo yelled.

"It was the exact same as yesterday!" Kendall defended.

"Yeah!" Carlos said. "You liked it _then_!"

"That's because yesterday, you had 'the fire', and today, you don't!" Gustavo yelled.

Kendall's blood boiled over, fury taking him. "You want fire? I'll show you fire!" He yelled angrily and thrusted forward, but Carlos quickly held him back, restraining him and helping him calm down.

Gustavo sighed and ran a hand over his face at the childish show of anger. Once Kendall had calmed down Gustavo faced them again. "Do it again! But better this time!"

Kendall and Carlos sighed as they rolled their eyes, then started singing with the music.

"Would you just take it easy?" Kelly said as she smacked Gustavo's arm. "You can't just push them because you're mad. There's a such thing as employee labor laws you know. And also a thing called compassion, and decency."

"They should've been here when I told them to." Gustavo muttered.

"You could at least give them a break!" Kelly said. "Their gonna shoot their voices out before the concert if they keep this up!"

"They can have their _break_ when they give me something that isn't complete garbage." Gustavo said as he listened to the boys singing.

Kelly sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Well, tell me you're at least letting James and Logan take a break."

"Sure." Gustavo snorted sarcastically. "Once Mr. X says they know the moves backwards and forwards and can complete a routine without any screw-ups."

Kelly's jaw dropped. "You can't push those boys! They could seriously collapse from exhaustion and hurt themselves!"

"They should've thought of that before-" Gustavo started, when his phone started beeping. He scoffed. "Great, what now?" He muttered sarcastically. "What?" He answered his phone rudely. "What?" He exclaimed. "Alright alright! I'll be there!" He hung up then pressed the button for the mic to the booth. "Dogs!" He yelled.

The booming voice spiked the microphone and Kendall and Carlos cried out as their ears started ringing, then threw their headsets on the ground.

"Change of plans." Gustavo said. "I gotta go to some boring meeting. I'll be back in an hour. Keep working on the song until I get back. And don't break anything!" The boys saluted and Gustavo stood.

"Kelly." Gustavo commanded. "Text Mr. X and make sure he keeps working with the other dogs and that they won't slack off!"

Kelly rolled her eyes with a scoff as she pulled her phone out and they exited the room.

Once Gustavo was out of sight, Kendall and Carlos breathed sighs of relief and slumped against the walls of the booth.

"Man, I thought we'd never get a break." Carlos said.

"Yeah." Kendall breathed. "Darn James had to make us late, so now we gotta make up for it." He leaned his head against the wall. "I'm already exhausted, and it's only been two hours."

"That's 'cause Gustavo's a turd that's making us work extra hard on everything." Carlos said bitterly.

"Well,". Kendall began. "Be thankful you're not James and Logan. They're probably dying of exhaustion right about now. And if they're not yet, they will be. Gustavo isn't letting Mr. X give them breaks."

"Yeah." Carlos said. "We're lucky he left us. But they still have Mr. X."

"Well, either way,". Kendall began as he pushed himself up to stand. "We can't just sit here the whole time doing nothing. Gustavo may be a turd that doesn't have a heart, but he's right. We lost an hour, and the concert is in a month. We really can't be slacking off." He took his sweater off, since he knew they would be there for a while.

Carlos sighed heavily and allowed Kendall to pull him to his feet, pulling his own sweater off and throwing it to the side with Kendall's.

"Ready?" Kendall asked, putting his headphones back on.

Carlos sighed as he adjusted his headphones on his head. "As I'll ever be."

Then the music started again, and they began singing their best.

But halfway through the song, a loud bang sounded through the building. The structure rumbled and shook, and then crumbled.

* * *

"Come on! Jump!" Mr. X instructed.

James and Logan sluggishly followed, waving their arms to the choreography slowly.

"He's trying to kill us." Logan breathed beside James shakily.

"He's about to succeed." James breathed back as they jumped.

Suddenly a loud boom shook the building, throwing the boys and Mr. X off balance and they all fell to the ground. The floor and walls shook with the force; desks, potted plants, instruments and hanging fixtures falling to the ground.

"What was that?" James exclaimed as he rose.

"Whatever it was, it sounded dangerous." Logan said as he rose.

"We should X-get out of here!" Mr. X yelled. He quickly got up and started running towards the door.

James and Logan shared a look, before getting up to follow. But then they both caught movement above them. Their eyes went wide.

A long crack was quickly making its way to the door, just above Mr. X.

"Look out!" The boys yelled, then started forward.

James, with the longer legs, reached Mr. X first and shoved him out of the way just as the ceiling collapsed.

Logan skidded to a stop as the ceiling came down in front of him, dust raising up and making him cough. His eyes widened. "James!"

* * *

"Carlos." Kendall strained weakly. He carefully sat up, his head and body aching with the movement. Dizziness overwhelmed him and for a second, he thought he might just throw up right there. He slumped against the wall and breathed deeply, willing the nausea away. Finally it started to subside and he looked around.

Kendall couldn't see much from the floor of the vocal booth. Luckily nothing really damaging had happened in the booth. The devastation was all outside. The only thing Kendall noticed were the microphones scattered about in the booth; some broken in dangerously sharp places in the metal stems.

Kendall attempted to push himself up, but a sudden sharp pain erupted in his side. It was so intense that he gasped, and the nausea bubbled up again. His eyes watered, and he slumped against the wall again then closed his eyes, breathing through the nausea and pain, waiting for them to subside. Finally, he inspected.

A small, skinny stick of metal; most likely from the microphone stands, was sticking out of Kendall's left side. It wasn't deep enough to be immediately threatening, but god did it hurt. Kendall knew that it was deep enough that if left unchecked long enough, it could be serious.

Breathing hard to gain the nerve, Kendall lightly grasped the stick, then squeezed his eyes shut. Taking a deep breath, he quickly yanked it out. A strained cry escaped his lips as tears slid down his cheeks. Weakly dropping the stick, he inspected his wound further. It was bleeding pretty slowly, but steadily nonetheless. He'd need something to stop it.

Kendall tore off the hem of his shirt using the sharp end of the metal stick to cut it, then tied it around his side to slow the blood, then he grabbed his previously discarded sweater from the corner of the booth and pulled it on to cover his wound from sight. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath, then slowly and shakily rose to his feet. His side throbbed and he waited for it to subside, before pushing forward.

"Carlos." Kendall walked to the other end of the small booth where Carlos lay unconscious. Kendall carefully knelt down beside him and shook him lightly. "Carlos, wake up." He called. "Come on buddy."

Carlos' brow furrowed, then he groaned. "Kendall?" He strained, finally cracking his eyes open.

Kendall sighed in relief. "Yeah. You okay?"

Carlos slowly sat up, then his eyes squeezed in pain and he held his head. "Headache." He groaned.

Kendall lifted Carlos' face to inspect it. "You may have a mild concussion." He said solemnly.

Carlos sighed, then grabbed his head again. "Oooow." He groaned.

"I know buddy." Kendall said sympathetically as he lay a hand on Carlos' shoulder. "But we gotta get out of here."

"Do you know what happened?" Carlos asked. "What was that?"

"It sounded like an explosion." Kendall said. "The whole building could be on fire or crumbling. We need to get out of here." He said urgently.

Carlos nodded slowly, then winced as his head ached. He carefully stood.

Kendall stood after Carlos, trying to hide the wince as his side protested.

"Kendall?" Carlos asked. "You okay?"

Kendall mentally huffed. Carlos wasn't supposed to see that. "Yeah, just hit my side against the wall when I fell. Bruised it a little but nothing serious." He lied.

"You sure?" Carlos asked in concern.

Kendall mentally cringed at the intense worry in Carlos' eyes. That's exactly what he was trying to avoid. Kendall plastered on his best smile. "Yeah. I'm good." He assured.

Carlos slightly frowned incredulously. "If you're sure." He said uncertainly.

Kendall nodded. "Let's just try to find a way out of here." He looked around the booth, to the door leading into the control room. He walked passed Carlos and tried to push it open. "It's stuck." He leaned against it and pushed hard.

Carlos joined Kendall by the door, trying to ignore the clear pain in Kendall's face as he pushed against it. Carlos pushed against the door with all his might, trying to get it to open faster.

Carlos knew full well that Kendall wasn't telling the truth about his condition. But he also knew that Kendall wouldn't tell him even if he pried. Kendall was stubborn; it took someone equally as stubborn to get the truth out of him; usually James or Logan.

So all Carlos could do was try to get him out fast and to people who could help him. So he pushed with all his might against the relentless door.

* * *

Logan coughed as the whole room was filled with smoke and dust. He tried to see through the thick blackness, swatting around as he coughed. "James!" He called. "Where are you?"

"Boys!"

The smoke finally thinned out enough for Logan to see the studio entrance blocked off by debris; but luckily Mr. X was safe on the other side.

"Mr X!" Logan called. "Are you okay?"

"X-fine." Mr. X called back. "What about you? Where's James?"

Logan looked to the debris in dread. He prayed to see any sort of movement. Logan knelt down and started carefully lifting the beams and slabs of ceiling. "James!" He called. "Can you hear me?"

Finally, Logan lifted one slab and saw James laying unconscious.

"James!" Logan cried and knelt down by his friend, feeling his neck. "He's alive." He breathed, then looked back to the debris that still covered James' lower half. He got up and tried pushing it away to free his friend, but his already weak strength was failing him. He huffed and leaned against a part of the debris that wasn't on James in exhaustion, breathing hard. "I can't move it!" He called, then turned back to the entrance where Mr. X was watching worriedly. "You have to get out of here. Get help."

"I can't just X-leave you boys!" Mr. X called. "The building's on fire! What if-"

"We don't have any other options!" Logan called. "I can't move the debris off of James and away from the doorway! We're both stuck here! You have to get help!"

Mr. X hesitated, before finally nodding. "Okay. I'll go get X-help. I'll be back!"

Logan nodded. "Be careful!"

"You too!" Mr. X called as he ran down the hall.

Logan watched until Mr. X was out of view, then sighed and slid down to the ground beside James' unconscious form. He gently started shaking James' shoulders. "James." He called. "Come on buddy, wake up." He lightly slapped James' cheek, hoping, praying for some reaction.

Still not getting a response, Logan anxiously turned back to the debris that covered James' lower half. Luckily, the debris had fell in a way that propped itself above the ground, not crushing James' body, but still holding him under. From what Logan could see, the only real damage could be a broken leg, but thankfully nothing else too serious.

With all his remaining strength, Logan pushed against the debris hard, trying to move it off of his friend.

Fire had spread all around the studio, surrounding Logan and James. If help didn't come soon. . .

Logan prayed help would come soon.

* * *

"It's not working." Kendall strained as he and Carlos slumped against the door. "There's something blocking it."

"What should we do?" Carlos asked as he breathed heavily in exhaustion, then looked around the booth for anything to help them.

Kendall frowned in thought, trying desperately not to wince as his side throbbed and ached. His breathing was shallow, and his strength was draining. But he had to push through it.

Looking around the booth, Kendall finally caught an idea. "The mic stands." He said.

Carlos jumped to his feet, already on the same mind-set. He grabbed one of the long metal stands and thrusted it into the door.

Kendall carefully stood, moving out of Carlos' way and then stood behind him. Then they both pushed on the stand, trying to pry the door open.

Carlos sent a small glance to Kendall's pained and pale face, then subtly shifted his position to push more on the stand than Kendall could. Kendall may be willing to push himself passed his own limits when he was hurt, but Carlos was far less willing to let him.

The door creaked, and Kendall and Carlos shared a small look of triumph before resuming their pushing on the stand. Slowly, the door was pushed away, creaking more and more as it cracked open.

Finally, the doorway was cracked open enough for Carlos to slide through. He carefully held the door open enough to slip through the crack, then immediately went to clear all the debris from the doorway.

As Carlos cleared the door, Kendall took the opportunity to lean against the wall, away from Carlos' sight, and hold his side in pain. A small grunt escaped his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut. But he breathed hard through it, and composed himself just as Carlos pried the door open fully.

"Nice work." Kendall breathed as he joined Carlos in the control room. "Now let's go find the others and get out of here." He walked through the control room to the hallway.

Carlos nodded and followed anxiously. He could see how much paler Kendall had gotten, and his worry heightened. But he knew there was nothing he could do about it, so he followed without a word, hoping James and Logan were okay.

* * *

Logan couldn't stop coughing. He rested against the debris and coughed into his hand as smoke floated through the room. The fire was getting closer, heating the room more; sweat dripped down Logan's brow. Logan didn't know how long they had left before the fire reached them, but he knew it wasn't long.

Logan weakly looked down at James, lightly slapping his cheek. "Come on James." He strained weakly. "You gotta wake up. Please."

Still no response.

Logan leaned against the debris in devastation. "I'm sorry." He said softly. "I'm sorry I was mad at you. I'm sorry I blamed you for making us late. I'm sorry. Just please. . .Please wake up."

"Logan!"

Logan looked up through the doorway. "Kendall, Carlos!" He called weakly.

"Are you okay?" Carlos called as he peered through the debris to see his friend.

Logan nodded slowly. "I can't get James out." He said dreadingly.

Kendall and Carlos both looked to the ground to see James covered in debris.

"Okay." Kendall called shakily. "Hang on, we're comin' to help you!" He went to the debris and immediately started lifting it away.

Carlos was right by his side, trying to get the heavier stuff so that Kendall didn't try to. Finally a small path was cleared; just enough for someone to slip through. Carlos was about to when Kendall held his shoulder.

"I'll go." Kendall said.

"But-" Carlos tried.

"You need to be here to pull James out fast once Logan and I lift the debris." Kendall explained.

As much as he hated the idea, Carlos nodded. He knew it was safer for Carlos, with slightly more strength flowing through his veins than Kendall at the moment, to be there to pull James out fast. "Okay." He said.

Kendall nodded back and carefully slipped through the crack, then knelt by the weak and exhausted Logan. "You okay?"

Logan nodded. "Better than you I see." He said weakly.

Kendall frowned. "What are you talking about? I'm fine."

Logan shook his head. "No you're not. Don't even try to lie to me. Future doctor here; I'm supposed to be able to detect when someone's hurt. You're not as fine as you say, and you shouldn't be exerting yourself like this; you're going to make it worse."

Kendall knew he couldn't argue with Logan; but that didn't mean he was going to admit being hurt. "Let's just get this stuff off of James and get out of here." He said.

Logan glared at Kendall, but nodded and allowed Kendall to help him up. Then they both started lifting the debris.

Carlos watched anxiously as the debris slowly rose up. He kept a careful eye on James, waiting for the debris to be lifted enough to pull him out.

Logan and Kendall strained to lift the debris. Logan's strength was weak and Kendall's side protested fiercely. Still they pushed through and finally they saw the opening.

"Carlos, now!" Logan strained as he and Kendall held the debris up. Small grunts escaped both of their lips as they tried to keep the slab suspended long enough.

Carlos was fast as he pulled James' arms out from under the slab and into the hall with him. "Okay, got him!" He called.

Immediately Logan and Kendall dropped the debris with exhausted sighs, and they both leaned against it to catch their breath. Without the propped position it was previously in, the debris fell flat on the ground, sealing the crack Kendall had previously slid through.

"How is he?" Kendall called.

Carlos carefully looked James over for any injuries. "Cuts, burns, maybe a broken leg from all that I can see." He called back worriedly.

"Okay." Kendall called. "Try to wake him up. Logan and I will try to move this out of the way."

Carlos nodded then turned back to James. "James? Can you hear me?" He said softly, lightly shaking his shoulders. "Come on James, wake up buddy. We need you to wake up."

Kendall and Logan slid down the debris blocking the door with heavy sighs. They were exhausted and still needed to catch their breath before they attempted to lift the debris out of their way.

Logan looked over to Kendall subtly. He noticed his pale and sweaty face, along with the pain etched in his expression. Logan also observed the subtle hand Kendall had on his left side.

Faster than Kendall could register, Logan grabbed Kendall's sweater and lifted it up, inspecting the red-stained t-shirt and make-shift gauze Kendall had tied around himself.

"Logan!" Kendall exclaimed as he pulled away, but Logan held him in place, ignoring the small hurt and betrayal that crossed Kendall's face at the invasion.

Logan turned around and picked up his own previously discarded sweater, then tied it around Kendall's side tightly, reinforcing the 'gauze'. Then he looked up at Kendall with fiery eyes. "Don't you _ever_ hide something this big again." He scolded.

Kendall stared dumbfounded at Logan for a minute, before dropping his gaze.

Logan softened. "You don't have to be strong for us." He said softly. "Even Superman has a weakness. Do you know what would happen if he didn't tell anyone that Kryptonite was his weakness, when it was sitting right there with him? He'd die. You have to let others help you once in a while."

Kendall sighed. "Sorry."

Logan laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just don't do it again, okay?"

Kendall smiled lightly. "'Kay."

Logan nodded. "Now, what say we try at this again?" He nodded to the debris.

"I'm ready if you are." Kendall said confidently. They both stood and positioned their hands on the debris. "One. . ." Kendall counted.

"Two. . ." Logan counted.

"Three. . ." Carlos suddenly said from the other side, and they all began lifting the debris. With the combined strength among the three, it slowly moved, allowing just enough room for Kendall and Logan to slip through.

They carefully climbed through the crack then went over to James.

"What happened?" Kendall asked as he knelt by James, allowing room for Logan to inspect him.

"The roof collapsed on him." Logan said worriedly as he scanned him over, prodding different places. He went to his legs and sighed. "His left leg is definitely broken." Then Logan moved up to James' face, opening his eyes and inspecting further. "I think he has a concussion; that's why he won't wake up."

"I thought I had the concussion." Carlos joked lightly. He soon regretted it as Logan swiftly turned to him in concern, looking him over. "I'm fine Loge." Carlos assured as Logan held his face and looked at his eyes and such.

Logan sighed heavily. "Mild concussion." He deduced solemnly. "James probably has a severe concussion. We need to get him out of here fast." Then he turned around to the panting Kendall. "And you too."

Kendall shot him a weak, warning look but Logan just retorted with a glare of his own. Kendall relented by rolling his eyes with a sigh.

Logan, nodding in slight victory at their wordless argument, turned over to Carlos. "Help me carry him." He said as he slung one of James' arms around his shoulders.

Carlos nodded wordlessly and mimicked, then they carefully stood, trying to make the raise as smooth as possible on James' injured body.

"Alright." Logan breathed. "Let's head for the exit."

They all nodded and Kendall took the lead, carefully maneuvering around fallen debris and dodging falling objects.

Fire climbed up the walls and around the floors, engulfing piles of rubble that they passed. The heat made them sweat, and the smoke made them cough harshly.

"How much longer?" Carlos breathed, exhaustion clear on his face.

"Not too much." Kendall breathed from up front. His side burned but he pushed through it to lead his friends around in the halls of the burning Rocque Records building.

A small groan escaped, and Logan quickly looked down to see James' brows furrow.

"James?" Logan asked as he walked, heaving James more around his shoulders. "Can you hear me?"

In response, coughing erupted from James' throat, before he finally opened his eyes. "Logan?" He croaked.

Logan sighed in relief. "Yeah, we got ya buddy."

"Just hang on." Carlos said softly. "We're almost out of here."

James' slow mind finally registered his injuries and his face scrunched up in pain; a small grunt escaping his lips.

"Careful James." Logan cautioned. "I'm pretty sure you're left leg is broken, and you may have a concussion. Try not to move too much."

James sighed. "I guess that's what happens when a roof falls on top of you." He croaked bitterly, a small bit of humor entering his statement as he weakly looked up at Logan.

Logan chuckled lightly. "Guess so." He said dryly. "Maybe you'll think twice before diving under a crumbling roof."

James frowned as that statement seemed to spark a memory. "Is Mr. X-"

"He's just fine." Logan assured. "Ran out of here to get help. You saved his life James."

"Way to go buddy!" Carlos cheered happily. "That's amazing!"

James smiled lightly. "Yeah, I _am_ pretty awesome, aren't I?" He stated jokingly.

"Only according to some." Kendall teased, glancing back to reveal a small devious smirk. "Stay awake until we get help and then maybe I'll believe that." He said teasingly, but with enough seriousness to convey his worry for his concussed friend.

James smiled weakly. "I'll try my best."

Kendall's forehead creased slightly in worry as he stared at James. Then he focused back on leading the way to the exit with more determination fueling his steps.

After what seemed like forever, they finally reached the building lobby. The front desk and most of the waiting chairs were already engulfed by flames.

Vaguely, the boys saw flashing lights through the fire wall that obscured the windows from sight; blue and red flashing lights.

"Help's here." Carlos breathed in relief.

Kendall walked up to the center of the lobby, staring at the front door in dread and longing; so close was the exit, yet it was blocked off by more burning debris. Huffing in determination, Kendall went over to start moving it away from the door.

"Kendall." Logan called. Kendall stopped in his tracks and turned around to face him, and Logan continued. "Take James."

"But-" Kendall started.

Logan shook his head. "No way am I letting you push yourself to move that. You could agitate your bleeding side."

"Logan-" Kendall tried.

"Kendall." Logan said firmly, staring hard at him.

Finally Kendall sighed in defeat and went over to take James' arm from Logan and sling it around his shoulders.

Logan quickly went over to the burning debris and inspected it; looking for any way to move it easily without getting burned. He looked around the lobby and found a long, thick, discarded beam and dragged it over to the large debris slab, then wedged it into the crease between the slab and the door. Logan pushed against the beam hard, trying to dislodge it away from the door to allow the path to safety.

Kendall, James and Carlos watched Logan anxiously; sympathetic eyes catching the exhaustion clear in Logan's face. Then James' head started to droop.

"Hey, hey. Come on James." Kendall said, shaking his friend slightly. "Don't you go to sleep on us."

James' eyes fluttered as Kendall pulled him closer. "Sorry." James croaked sleepily.

"Just stay awake buddy." Kendall said. "We're almost out."

Carlos watched fearfully and sympathetically. Then he looked up to Kendall. "Kendall." He called.

Open seeing the expression on Carlos' face, Kendall followed his lead and guided James to the ground, allowing his head to rest against Kendall's chest.

"We're almost there." Kendall said as he lightly squeezed James close to him.

Carlos immediately went to Logan's side, pushing against the beam with all his strength. Slowly it started to move.

Firemen from outside had seen the boys and the debris, and started pushing against the door, helping in moving the debris away from it.

Kendall watched anxiously while holding James close to him. "Almost there." He said softly. His side ached and sent pain all throughout his exhausted and sore body. The heat and smoke weighed him down, as did the slow but steady loss of blood from his wound. His own eyes were drooping but he jerked himself awake.

"You're hurt too." James noted weakly in a groggy voice.

Kendall looked down to James' weak but concerned face. "Not as much as you are." He said.

"Liar." James croaked.

Kendall sighed, dropping his gaze. "We're almost out of here. We'll get help and everything will be okay. Just stay awake 'til then."

"You too." James said groggily.

Kendall looked to him, then softened and nodded. He found James' hand and they both squeezed the other tightly, offering comfort for each other.

Slowly, the debris made a low creaking sound as it was pushed away from the door. The door pushed opened enough for a fireman to slip his axe through and started hacking away at the debris as the men pushed against the door, and Logan and Carlos pushed against the beam.

Finally, with a harsh jerk, the debris dislodged from the door enough for men to file through running to the boys aid.

Two men knelt by Kendall and James, looking them over.

"He has a broken leg." Kendall breathed. "And a concussion."

The man nodded then ushered for a stretcher to be brought over. They then carefully lifted James onto it. Kendall watched weakly as they strapped him in.

"Concussion." Kendall caught Logan's voice and he turned to see two other men kneeling by the exhausted and slumped Logan and Carlos. Logan was telling the men Carlos' damage. "Mild though, I think." Logan breathed.

The men nodded then one of them slung one of Carlos' arms around his shoulders and led him out of the building.

"Are you the only ones in the building?" A man asked Logan slowly.

"I think so." Logan breathed. "There wasn't a lot of people here to begin with this morning." The he frowned as another thought hit him. "Did you see someone else come out of the building?"

The man nodded. "One man. He made it out just before part of the roof collapsed in front of the door way. He's outside getting checked over. So far he's perfectly fine. A, 'Mr. X' I think it was."

Kendall watched Logan nod, then Kendall's attention was brought back to his side when the men started lifting the stretcher. He carefully stood with them, his hand locked in James' the whole time. "Stay with us buddy." He said softly.

James squeezed Kendall's hand weakly as the men led them out of the building. The bright sun hit his eyes and he squeezed them tight.

"I got ya buddy." Kendall said as he moved to block the sun out of James' eyes, and followed the men that carried James to the awaiting ambulance. Kendall looked up to see that it was the same ambulance Carlos was in. They had him sitting on a bed as they checked him over.

"I'm sorry sir." One medic said as they stopped at the ambulance. "There's not enough room for you in this one. You'll have to take the other one with the other kid." The medics got into the ambulance, ready to load James in.

"Don't worry Kendall." Carlos caught Kendall's worried gaze. "I'll take care of him." He offered a small smile.

Reluctantly, Kendall nodded, then turned back to James, squeezing his hand. "Carlos is gonna take you now. You gotta stay awake for him, okay?"

James nodded weakly. "I'll try."

"See you soon." Kendall said as he lightly ruffled James' hair. "Stay safe." He said softly.

James gave Kendall's hand a light squeeze. "You too." Then the medics pulled him into the ambulance.

The second The stretcher was settled in the back, Carlos took up James' hand, giving Kendall a sad smile and a wave.

Kendall smiled lightly back and waved, then the doors were closed and they drove away. Kendall sighed in relief, feeling all that prior adrenaline wash away, leaving him in pain and exhausted. He staggered, weakly gripping his side, before his weak body finally gave out, letting him fall.

Kendall didn't hit the ground however, as two arms wrapped around his waist and back, holding him tightly as they guided him to the ground. He weakly looked up at Logan, seeing him yell behind him for help, then he turned back to Kendall with worried eyes.

"It's going to be okay Kendall." Logan said softly as he held him. "You're gonna be fine."

Kendall vaguely saw two other men join them with a stretcher, before his eyelids closed, and he lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Part two, and final part.**

**Still no slash.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Not So Fireproof Pt.2

Kendall frowned when an incessant beeping sound roused him from his sleep. Slowly his mind started to register everything and a dull pain throbbed through his heavy body. An involuntary groan left his lips.

"Kendall?"

Kendall finally opened his eyes at the soft and sweet voice and found the source sitting in a chair next to the bed. A small smile crossed his lips. "Hey mom." He croaked.

"Oh Kendall." Mrs. Knight breathed, then quickly, yet gently scooped him up in her arms. "I was so worried." Then she pulled away to look at him. "Don't you ever scare me like that again." She said firmly.

Kendall chuckled lightly. "Sorry mom." He said with a smile.

Mrs. Knight smiled then and touched his face lovingly. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"What about the guys?" Kendall asked. "Are they okay?"

Mrs. Knight nodded. "You got the worst of it; they needed to rush you and James into surgery when you got here. You needed a lot of stitches on your side, and you lost quite a bit of blood, but the doctors say you're going to be fine." She smiled.

"And the others?" Kendall asked.

"Carlos just had a mild concussion and some burns." Mrs. Knight explained. "He's doing well too. I've already checked him out of the hospital. He's with James right now."

"How is James?" Kendall asked worriedly.

"Well, his left leg is broken, and he had a pretty severe concussion." Mrs. Knight said. "But he's going to be fine. They're going to keep him and you overnight, just to be safe."

Kendall nodded. "And-"

"Logan is in the best shape out of all of you." Mrs. Knight said with a smile. "A few burns, plus he was exhausted, but he's just fine. Already checked out, just like Carlos. He's waiting outside with Katie right now. If you want-"

Kendall was already nodding. "Please let them in."

Mrs. Knight smiled, then got up and opened the door.

Katie was the first in, running to the bedside, before stopping to look at Kendall. "Hey big brother." She said quietly.

Kendall smiled. "Hey baby sis." He motioned her closer and she climbed into his arms, squeezing him gently.

"I was really scared about you." Katie whispered against Kendall's chest.

"Sorry sis." Kendall said softly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Just, don't do it again." Katie said firmly. Then she sat up to look at him. "And if you tell anyone, I'll pummel you." She joked.

Kendall ruffled her hair with a chuckle. "Your secret's safe with me. Wouldn't want anyone to know that you were _human_ like the rest of us." He said mischievously.

The sound of the door closing lightly brought Kendall's attention back to the entrance, and he smiled. "Hey Logan."

Logan ventured forward awkwardly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Hey. How you feeling?" Then he sighed in self-annoyance. "I guess that's a stupid question isn't it? Sorry."

Mrs. Knight sat back in the chair by the bed and held Katie's hand, both snickering quietly.

Kendall chuckled. "Nah, you're good. And I'm feeling better, thanks."

Logan relaxed a bit as he approached, giving a small smile.

"What about you?" Kendall asked.

Logan shrugged. "I'm fine. Got off the best out of everyone. Just a few burns and I'm a little tired, but it's nothing to worry about." He said nonchalantly.

Kendall nodded. "So, everyone's okay then?" He asked.

Logan smiled with a nod. "Everyone's okay. Carlos is already back to his annoying self, bugging poor James to no end; and James is already trying to escape his hospital bed to get out of here."

Kendall chuckled. "Did anyone tell him he has to stay the night?"

Logan chuckled as well. "Why do you think he's so anxious to get out? He says he can't spend a whole night without his Cuda hair gel close to him or he'll die."

Kendall laughed. "Well, sounds like he's back to normal. Didn't take him long. Or Carlos for that matter."

"Well, you know them." Logan said. "They don't let anything bring them down for long."

"Oh, I know." Kendall chuckled, then laid against the pillow contently. "I'm glad."

Logan smiled lightly. "Yeah."

* * *

"I'm not kidding guys!" James cried desperately over his friends' laughter. "A whole night?"

"You'll just have to tough it out, James." Logan chuckled. "It's to make sure you're okay. You took a pretty big bump to the head, they just want to make sure everything's still working properly in that crazy brain of yours."

"Besides,". Carlos interjected. "Your leg's broken. You ain't goin' anywhere else anyways."

"Yeah James." Kendall said with a smirk from his bed. "Looks like you're stuck here with me for the night."

James sighed in defeat, crossing his arms with a pout. "They're just lucky they moved me in with you, Kendall; otherwise I would've never agreed to this." The others laughed.

Suddenly the door to Kendall's and now James' shared hospital room creaked open, and someone peeked their head in. "Mind if I come in?"

"Kelly!" Carlos exclaimed, quickly ushering her inside. "You came!"

"Of course!" Kelly said, giving Carlos a hug. "Are you boys alright? I was freaking out when we got the call about Rocque Records being on fire. You're not too hurt are you?"

"Nah." Kendall waved off. "James had a concussion and has a broken leg, Carlos had a little concussion too, but their both fine. Right?" He turned to the guys.

"Yep!" Carlos and James nodded. "Just fine."

"Apparently I got the worst of it with the little gash on my side, but we're all good." Kendall smiled.

"And Logan got the best out of everyone." Carlos stated happily. "Only a few burns. Lucky." He mumbled.

"Hey, what are you complaining about?" Logan asked. "You and I are both allowed to leave today."

"Oh yeah." Carlos said, eliciting chuckles from everyone.

Then another person quietly, and awkwardly entered the room, ceasing any previous conversation. "Hey." He waved awkwardly.

The boys shared confused glances, before turning back to stare at Gustavo awkwardly standing in their room.

"Hey Gustavo." Kendall said uncertainly. "What are you doing here?"

Gustavo shifted his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. "I uh, came to tell you boys. . .Mr. X wanted to know if you were okay. He told me to tell you that he was worried and uh, that he wanted to see you, but had previous engagements to go to. Also,". He turned to James' bed. "He wanted to say, thanks, James; for saving his life."

James smiled lightly. "Tell him he's welcome." He said.

"Well, thanks for telling us Gustavo." Kendall said in conclusion, and the boys went back to their conversation.

Kelly rolled her eyes at Gustavo, lightly elbowing him in the side; urging him to continue.

Gustavo huffed and awkwardly cleared his throat, gaining the boys' attention again. "Listen, boys. I, uh. . .I know we've had our differences in the past. . ."

"Yeah, like, this morning." Carlos muttered next to Logan. The boys snickered quietly to themselves.

Kelly cleared her throat hard, shaking her head curtly in disapproval, then nodded back to Gustavo.

Gustavo sighed. "Yeah, about that. . .I know, that I was a little angry this morning, and I uh, kinda took it out on you guys. You didn't. . .Fully deserve it so, I'm sorry."

The boys stared at Gustavo dumbfounded and shocked.

"You're. . .What?" Kendall asked.

"Look, I know we don't all get along sometimes,". Gustavo began awkwardly. "But, you're the closest thing to family I've got. When I heard that the building was on fire. . .Well at first I was angry because I figured you guys did something stupid and set my studio on fire. But when we pulled up, and I saw how bad it was. . ." He shrugged. "I don't know, I got worried. I realized that this was a lot bigger than some stupid stunt gone wrong and. . .Well. . .I was. . .Scared."

"You were _scared_?" Carlos repeated in disbelief. "Scared of what?"

Gustavo sighed, running a hand over his face. "I was scared that. . .That something might've happened to you boys. That. . .You were hurt. I was worried about you." Upon seeing the confused expressions on everyone's faces, Gustavo sighed in aggrivation and threw his hands in the air. "Because I care, okay?" He admitted frustratedly. "I care what happens to you boys. I didn't want you to be hurt."

The boys shared confused, shocked and disbelieving glances.

"Wow." Kendall breathed.

"I know we've had our differences." Gustavo repeated. "But I just, wanted you boys to know that. . .That I don't. . .Hate you. I just do the things I do because. . .Well, because I'm not good with, nice, and, caring." He shrugged helplessly.

"That's just. . ." Logan started uncertainly. "Wow."

"I never thought. . ." Carlos began. "Wow."

James chuckled. "Color us speechless." He said dryly.

Kelly chuckled and even Gustavo had a small smirk on his face.

"Well boys,". Kelly began. "You are important to us. It's like Mrs. Knight always says; we're a family now. We care about each other."

Kendall absorbed everything for a bit in silence. He looked to Gustavo and studied him; Gustavo was standing awkwardly in the room, swaying slightly in nervousness. But his features were something Kendall had never seen in the man; worry, care, compassion, and sincerity. He really was telling the truth.

Gustavo caught Kendall's gaze and looked to him uncertainly, his nervousness doubling as Kendall stared at him.

Finally, Kendall offered a small smile. "Thanks, Gustavo."

Gustavo visibly relaxed, offering a small nod.

"All craziness aside,". Carlos suddenly began. "I'm hungry!"

Everyone chuckled as the tension of the room lessened with the light statement.

"Would you like me to get you boys anything?" Kelly asked.

"Food!" Carlos and James exclaimed.

"Corndogs and chicken nuggets!" Carlos clarified.

Kelly chuckled. "I'll see if the cafeteria has any." She said, then stood to exit.

"Hey Kelly?" Logan called to stop her. When she turned to face him, he continued. "Did the firefighters ever find out what caused the fire?"

"And the explosion?" Kendall added.

Kelly sent a sympathetic glance to Gustavo who ducked his head in shame. Kelly sighed. "They think it was the coffee maker overheating. It exploded everything in the kitchen, which in turn, exploded everything else."

The boys let out a collective "Oooooh."

"Man,". Carlos breathed. "Who knew coffee could be so dangerous?"

"Actually,". Logan said. "Studies show that coffee is really bad for-"

The boys groaned loudly as Logan went into a scientific explanation.

"Sorry I asked." Carlos muttered.

Kelly and Gustavo chuckled as they watched, shaking their heads fondly.

Carlos was trying to head-lock Logan and pull him close to Kendall and James, who had pillows ready to pummel him with; all the while Logan struggled to get out of Carlos' grip.

Kelly chuckled. "You're right; those dogs do get wild without someone yelling at them." She said fondly.

Gustavo chuckled as well. "Nah. They're just teenage boys." He said fondly.

* * *

**Author's note: So that was probably the worst thing I've ever written. I'm so sorry BookWorkKendall! I tried my hardest, but my muse continued to elude me; forcing me to try to do this without it! I'm really sorry!**

**Normally I would say that Gustavo was out of character with that tender little moment. But not after 'Big Time Camping' and 'Big Time Rescue'! I loved his parts so much in BTC; he was all worried; it was adorable! And in the end of BTR (ha) he admitted that he loves them! ^^ So, this little Gustavo fluff is all justified, even if y'all don't like the soft side of him. :P**


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